For this Christmas Day our island will be quiet. The only sights and sounds will probably be the passing of a few ravens with their distinctive low-pitched wingbeats gently disturbing the profound quiet of the 60th parallel. Over our three-decade history there have been a few winters where we did a “winter watch” with a staff member arriving around the first week of January and staying until spring breakup. In our early years Earl Crawford did that lonely duty and about twenty years ago our Sales Manager Jon Wimpney did that job for a couple of winters before we realized that there wasn’t a need to have a winter presence. Jon recalls his time on the island: “Wake up, stoke the fire, melt some snow for water, clear off the solar panels for power and make some coffee.” Then and now a few trappers and hunters from Fond du Lac or Stony Rapids might drive by on snowmobiles, but generally the land belongs to the caribou, moose, wolverines, and wolves. It is a quiet (and dark) place at Christmas.

On Christmas morning the sun will rise at 9:08 AM. But by 2:42 PM it will be ready to call it a day. Don’t let that schedule make you feel even a little cozy though. Many of our team members have made visits in December and January to check on the place or do winter construction. If you look right up at the sun, you don’t have to look very high. It’s high point today, the sun will be just under 7 degrees above the horizon. And looking at the sun, even on a clear day, you will not feel the slightest hint of warmth. On a cloudy day you will feel like you’re walking around in perpetual twilight. It’s not until late February or March that it feels like real daylight. For Christmas of 2024 things are balmy at the lodge, in the high 20s. Most years you would put a dash in front of that number. The lowest temperature on record for Stony Rapids, 50 miles to the south, was -59F in January of 1972. Temps of -30 have been common in December and January. Of course, in six months it’s an entirely different story. The sun will reach its peak altitude of 53 degrees on June 21: the day will be a lot longer with just under 19 hours of sunlight. The temperatures will be a lot more inviting, probably in the 70s. The hottest day ever recorded temperature at Stony Rapids was 98 degrees on June 28, 2002, just a week after the summer solstice. Interestingly some of our current guides were on Scott’s water that day and probably drinking a lot of it. Cory Craig, Greg Hamm, Jan Phoenix, Chester Porteous and Jon Wimpney were all on duty (Paul Hamilton and Steve Linder just missed that cutoff). That’s a temperature range of 137 degrees. A lot of things about the far north are extreme, including the extremely good fishing.

For this winter break our team is spread all over Canada and the world, but we know that each of them is thinking about June 9, 2025 when we start the fun all over again. We all look forward to putting on the best fishing show in Canada for our 2025 guests.

Some Fun Facts About Scott Lake Geography

• The lodge is located at 59 degrees, 59 minutes and 28 seconds latitude. Since a degree is roughly 69 miles, a minute 1.15 miles and a second 101 feet that puts the lodge 3,131 feet south of the 60th, close enough to call us 60th parallelers.
• The 60th crosses the following countries: the United States (in Alaska of course), Canada, the UK, Sweden, Finland and Russia.
• At the 60th the circumference of the earth is exactly half of that at the equator.
• About 40% of Canada’s land mass is above the 60th.
• The 60th is the lowest latitude that experiences “white nights” where darkness on the solstice does not drop below “nautical twilight” (in plain English it just doesn’t get dark for most of June and July).
• The true Arctic Circle where on June 21st the sun doesn’t set and on December 21st it doesn’t rise is at latitude 66 degrees and 56 minutes, about 450 miles north of Scott Lake Lodge.
• Careful research indicates that the latitude of Scott Lake Lodge is the most fun of any latitude on earth.

Preseason Prep

We have so much to get ready to open the lodge after 8 months of winter’s grip on this 12-acre island right about 60 degrees north latitude. The list is long, but the group is hardworking and talented, so we’ll be excited to share some improvements soon.

Rewind a few months, there was a ton (literally many tons) of work done to set the spring crew up for some successful builds and renovations. In response to new flight duty regulations that came into effect in 2023, we decided to fly as much as we could in winter. The end goal was to preserve as many summer hours as possible for guest flyouts.  This was a huge investment and effort, but we pulled it off.  Setting up a new bulk fuel system in February is a whole new kind of fun!  Six new bulk tanks were carried in by helicopter and set into place on the island.

By late March, the sun hangs in the northern sky a little longer, allowing the Turbo Otter get some serious work done. Twenty-eight loads of fuel, lumber and freight made the scenic flight to the island in March. We were blessed with clear, albeit cold weather. Perfect for work and even a little fishing.

Improvements

Constant, incremental improvements…this has long been the adage of Scott Lake Lodge. We pore over the thoughtful comments in your evaluations and incorporate them into our planning. We take what you tell us seriously. To that end, we are building yet another staff cabin and bringing on more staff. We are committed to providing the finest, personalized customer service of any fishing lodge. Next on our road map is the complete overhaul of all the guest cabins. Bear is first up and getting an exciting expansion for this season.

Careful readers will notice a new lake in our flyout offerings. Mosquito Lake will be open once the ice melts (usually early July.) It is a long way north of Scott on the tundra but offers exciting fishing opportunities for big grayling and lakers. The chance to see caribou, muskox and barren ground grizzly make this a unique option. We’ll be getting you there faster and in style thanks to our new Caravan, which replaces GQD (Beaver.) The reliability, capacity and cruise speed are a welcome addition to our aviation program.

Countdown

There are less than 30 days until our Week 1 crew sets foot on the island. Every year our staff are hustling right until the last minute…the list of jobs to get done is immense! If you are joining us for the 2024 fishing season we have some work for you to do as well.

We ask you fill out your Pre-Trip Planner online so we have the necessary information to purchase your fishing licenses and catch any special requests or dietary needs you may have.

The planning stage of any trip is exciting: the anticipation, zooming in on Google Earth, checking for recent big fish on social media…embrace this part. We will be sending some pre-travel reading to you, so please take time to familiarize yourself with the Adventure Guide and important travel details in the email correspondence prior to your arrival. If you have any questions, do not hesitate to reach out: Jason, Jon and Shirley are happy to help.

The Guest Portal has all of the pertinent information including an FAQ section about your upcoming trip. As a reminder, we do encourage you to arrive in Edmonton the day prior to your charter north if at all possible. This extra padding mitigates any airline mishaps such as lost bags or missed connections.

We can just imagine the scene…a favorite beverage, the family gathered together, phones full of photos passed around for all to enjoy…maybe the globe (or Google Maps) comes into play. Scott Lake Lodge is truly a special place, the culture and relationships built here are incredible. It’s tough to explain, but so many of our guests do an amazing job. How do we know? They come back! They bring friends and their family. A trend that we are so proud of is the number of folks that come up “fishing with the guys”, and then think this remote fishing camp would be a great place to bring my wife and family. The hard work over many years to improve all facets of the lodge and make it more comfortable and inviting to all has paid off. We aren’t done.

The Scott Lake team has big plans for 2024 and beyond to enhance our offering and continue toward our goal of providing the best lodge fishing experience in North America. There are more cabins to renovate (Bear is next on the list for a nice facelift.) More pilot/staff accommodations to build, more fuel tanks to chopper in, and new boats and motors to add to the fleet. The work doesn’t stop, even over the holiday season. Our staff is a little more spread out, but we continue to work toward these projects. For 100 odd days, our team is concentrated on a 12-acre island, living and working together closely. Over the holidays they celebrate Christmas across Canada (British Columbia, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Ontario, New Brunswick) and in the southern climes of the Bahamas, Costa Rica, Mexico, and Nicaragua. But the pull of the north always draws them back to Scott each spring.
As we pass through the shortest day of the year, we look forward to June when we spend the longest day of the year in 24 hours of sunlight at the lodge with you. From our family to yours, we want to wish everyone the happiest of holidays and the very best for 2024. We hope you can join us for some fishing and fun on the 60th!

Winter Plans

We have lots on the docket for this winter. First up, we will be at the Dallas Safari Club sportshow January 11-14th. Stop by and visit us at booth #2019 if you are in the area. We would love to catch up. Dani and Amelia will be hosting a Women’s Lunch on Saturday, January 13. If you are interested, email Dani for all the details.

Next up are some trips to the lodge to move fuel tanks and bring in all sorts of construction materials. These are tough but fun trips, landing the plane with skis on the frozen lake, wading through waist-deep snow, digging into the cabins, and hauling 5 or 6 tons of materials around the island.

Meanwhile, some of our hospitality team will be expanding their wine acumen and seeking out new offerings for our wine list.

Coming Attractions

Scott Lake, which straddles the SK/NWT border, sits in one of the largest remaining wilderness areas in the world. Travelling across the 500 miles from the lodge to the arctic ocean, there is nothing…well, almost nothing. As you fly north the black spruce thins, shrinks, and then outright disappears…you’ve entered the tundra. A wonderfully diverse ecosystem which holds some of the Earth’s most recent shaping by the receding glaciers, the mountains of ice left behind rocks, hills and most importantly lakes. We have been fortunate to acquire Tukto Lodge and the rights to fish some barely touched northern gems, Mosquito and Dubawnt Lakes. They are far off, full of giant lake trout, arctic grayling, and wildlife.

We have recently added a Cessna Caravan to our aviation program which will greatly enhance our ability to bring adventurous anglers swiftly and safely to these new waters.  Are you ready to explore with us?  We can’t wait to welcome you aboard.

Give the Gift of Adventure

Imagine surprising your family with a truly unique Canadian wilderness fishing trip: first-class accommodations, exquisite dining, amazing fishing, and unmatched customer service. Our team of veteran professionals are ready and waiting to provide an experience that you just need to tell your friends about. If this sounds up your alley, we implore you to get in touch with sales manager Jon Wimpney (306-219-7150 call/text) now.  There very few openings remaining for 2024 as our guests chose to rebook in record numbers. But Jon will work his magic to get you in for 2024 or 2025. We don’t want you to miss the chance to share this adventure with us.